2000
#8,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,470
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Belisle
A French topographic surname referring to someone living on an island or near water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,080 Americans carry the last name Belisle. That puts it at #8,838 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belisle surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,008
Census rank
#8,838
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,558 bearers of the surname Belisle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8838th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belisle
The surname Belisle has its origins in France, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the French words "belle" meaning beautiful and "isle" meaning island, suggesting a connection to a picturesque island location.
One of the earliest known references to the Belisle name can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres" from the late 12th century, which mentions a person named "Hugo de Bella Insula" (Hugh of the Beautiful Island).
The name is also thought to have evolved from various place names in France, such as Bellisle-sur-Mer, a commune in the department of Morbihan, Brittany. This region was historically known for its strategic islands and naval importance, which may have influenced the adoption of the name.
In the 13th century, records show a nobleman named Guibert de Belisle who was a vassal of the Count of Champagne. Another notable figure was Jean de Belisle, a French military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was captured at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.
During the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Belisles, Bellisles, and Beliles, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One prominent individual from this era was François de Belisle (1521-1588), a French diplomat and military commander who served under King Henry II.
In the 17th century, Philippe de Belisle (1617-1679) was a French naval officer and explorer who played a significant role in the colonization of the French West Indies. He founded the city of Fort-de-France on the island of Martinique.
The name Belisle also found its way to North America during the French colonization period. Charles de Belisle (1684-1741) was a French-Canadian military officer and administrator who served as the acting governor of the French colony of Louisiana.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belisle
Among Census respondents with the surname Belisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Belisle bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Belisle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 2,988
- Black or African American5.8% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 161
- Two or more races3.5% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belisle
Belisle appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,722
+252 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#8,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,558
-164 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,717 | 3,470 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,800 | 3,722 | 1.26 | +252 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #8,838 | 3,558 | 1.19 | -164 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 38 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Belisle surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,800 | #8,838 | -0.4% |
| Count | 3,722 | 3,558 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.19 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belisle bearers went from 3,722 to 3,558 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,800 to #8,838.
FAQ
Belisle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belisle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,080 living Americans carry the surname Belisle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,008 residents.
How common is Belisle?
Belisle ranks #8,838 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,558 people with the surname Belisle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,080), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Belisle.
Has Belisle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belisle went from 3,722 recorded bearers to 3,558. That is a decrease of 164 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,800 to #8,838.
What does the Census say about the background of Belisle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Belisle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (2,988 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belisle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (5.8%), Hispanic (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Belisle (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Belisle mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living on an island or near water. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Belisle (1.19 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Belisle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.